Question of the day: Who will make the women’s Final Four?
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Reporters from around the Tribune family tackle the question of the day, then you get a chance to chime in and tell them why they are wrong.
Andrea Adelson, Orlando Sentinel
Does it really matter who joins UConn in the women’s Final Four? Because nobody is beating the Huskies. Not only are they No. 1, they have won an NCAA record 72 straight games. They are simply the most dominant team in the country, winning by an average of 35 points a game. What everybody should root for is Tennessee to come out of its region so the best women’s rivalry is renewed in the semifinals.
A frosty relationship between Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and Vols coach Pat Summitt has precluded the two teams from playing every year, something that the women’s game has sorely missed. These are the two pre-eminent women’s programs in the country, and the two preeminent women’s coaches in the country. Women’s basketball needs them to resume playing, even if their coaches refuse to make it happen. So the NCAA committee did the right thing in pairing them off.
It’s too bad they aren’t on a collision course for the final. Now that would really have been a juicy way to determine the women’s champion.
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John Altavilla, Hartford Courant
Who will make the Final Four is not the question. Better to ask who will make the Final Three. Will UConn be there? Do bartenders pouring margaritas along the Riverwalk in San Antonio?
Not even the Mayans are bold enough to present evidence predicting an upset of the top-ranked Huskies. They have already defeated one No. 1 seed (Stanford), two No. 2s, Duke and Notre Dame (three times), No. 3s Florida State, Oklahoma and West Virginia (twice), No. 5 Georgetown. . . . you get the point.
As far as the other regions go, we guess Notre Dame has a good chance to knock off No. 1 Nebraska in the Kansas City Region and Texas A&M is athletic enough to stun Stanford in Sacramento.
But do we really want Tennessee to get knocked out in Memphis, ruining the opportunity to meet UConn in the national semifinals?
The answer is Ge-no.
Baxter Holmes, Los Angeles Times
Connecticut to the Final Four: A risky pick, I know, but I can’t wait to shout “I told you so” as I dawdle along to the forsaken land of high-hoping Huskies. (Seriously, though, UConn fans should have booked hotel reservations booked in San Antonio when the season started.)
Stanford meets them there, assuming center Jayne Appel’s right ankle is healthy and the Cardinal can get past the tournament’s best No. 2 seed, Texas A&M (my sleeper Final Four pick). But they will. This is the best team the Pac-10 has ever produced, and three players average near double-doubles. And Nnemkadi Ogwumike (18.3 points, 9.4 rebounds) won’t be stopped, even by stop signs.
Lastly: Tennessee escapes the Memphis Region and the fighting Baylor Bears, led by Ms. Fisticuff Brittney Griner; and Notre Dame advances out of the weak Kansas City region, besting Oklahoma and then Nebraska with enough time left over for some BBQ spare ribs.